The Ring of a Woman's Scream
by Kajune
Summary: -6918- A legendary story leads Mukuro into almost revealing a tragic incident that once happened to him in a past life.


**Title** : The Ring of a Woman's Scream

**Disclaimer **: I do not own any of the Characters of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.

**Genre **: Horror / Romance

**Warning **: Contains maleXmale content. OOCness. OCs.

**Summary** : -6918- A legendary story leads Mukuro into almost revealing a tragic incident that once happened to him in a past life.

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**Written on 18th September 2011. Edited on 19th April 2014. Formerly **_**1869**_**.**

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Tsuna doesn't enjoy hanging outside in the middle of the woods, even with his guardians here he still feels nervous. For an untold reason, Reborn has brought them all into the far away woods to do something. When they reached a certain area they all sat around in a circle, with Reborn sitting in the middle. Those who came were Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Chrome and Hibari. The fun-loving Lambo didn't come with them because the girls objected to the idea of having such a young child be taken out of the house so late at night.

It didn't really matter if Lambo came or not. His absence only made things more quiet and peaceful, but the more it is that way late at night the more terrifying things seemed for Tsuna. Right now, everyone is silent, making it the opportunity to explain himself to the group.

"There's a legend about a ring hidden within these woods by a young woman." Reborn says, hoping that no one will cut in thinking he's just telling ghost stories. Although he is, he's also planning to say something else. "The ring is said to have been possessed by the woman after she committed suicide, and whoever touches it, will hear her screams." By now, Tsuna is already shivering from fear, while the others remain calm and partly interested in the legend.

"I want you guys to find the ring and see if the legend is true. If we can prove it is, then you will be rewarded by a man who wants to find the answer." A loud gasps is heard, coming from a few of the guardians. Following soon after is the sound of Mukuro's laughter. Everyone turns their attentions towards the source of the sound, as it approaches the circle with a smirk on its face.

"It's pointless to go look for the ring," Mukuro tells his favorite Arcobaleno, while he stands a few feet away from Chrome. "During one of my past lives, it was found and proven to actually be carrying that poor woman's screams. The man who found it got so terrified that he threw it far away before running."

"You know this because you were there with that person?" Reborn asks the illusionist, having grown all curious about the things this man knows that he doesn't.

"Yes, after all, he was my father." Mukuro says, with a small hint of anger in his tone.

"What!?" Tsuna yells in shock. He was so not expecting to hear Mukuro say that, let alone appear right where they are right now. The shock of hearing such a statement forces Tsuna to his feet, and he doesn't feel like sitting down anymore until things start to make sense.

"Kufufu." Mukuro laughs, having to find this small part of the conversation quite amusing. "The morning after the ring was discovered, my father was found lying dead with a woman's body on top of him. Many claim that it was the body of the owner of that ring, since it had fallen from the tall tree which she had hanged herself from."

"You're saying, your own father was crushed by a woman's dead body?" Ryohei asks with concern, and he feels even more concern when Mukuro shows no sign of distress about this tragedy. "Yes." He answers with a bright smile.

"Does this mean we don't have to go looking for the ring?" Hibari asks the Arcobaleno, hoping that the answer was a 'yes' and not a 'no'.

"Wait a sec," Reborn says, making it almost clear to the cloud guardian that his hopes weren't going to be fulfilled. "Was the ring recovered after your father threw it?"

Mukuro sighs, something about this conversation is making this person feel uncomfortable, and Tsuna wants to know what. "Me and my father's workers went looking for it, and one of the workers did, and also heard the scream."

"And...?"

"..."

"What Mukuro? What happened next?"

"I better not talk about it." By now, everyone could see the look of fear written all over Mukuro's face. There was something strange about his behavior that made everyone believe something bad had happened while he and his father went searching for the legendary ring. Mukuro suddenly runs off, and immediately after does a search party begin, with the goal of finding Mukuro instead of the ring. Everyone searches high and low, and all go in different directions, except for Reborn and Tsuna, who are both desperately searching for the mist guardian together.

After what seemed to be an hour-long search, Hibari finally finds Mukuro standing in front of a tree. There are very small scratches on that tree, ones that somehow fitted Mukuro's nails perfectly when his hand is placed on top. "Mukuro." Hibari calls, but is given no response. So he tries again. "What's the matter with you?" No reply from the tree-rubbing teenager.

"What happened back then?"

"..."

"Mukuro."

"..."

Hibari was beginning to lose his patience.

"Mukuro!"

"...Rape..."

"What?"

Something odd was going on, and it wasn't that Mukuro didn't seem like Mukuro, well, maybe a bit different. But, everytime Mukuro said a word about his past, a chilly feeling would rise up and enter the atmosphere that surrounded the two. Hibari steps forward, hoping to get close enough to prevent the other from running away again.

"The man who picked up the ring, said that he was going to be rich for finding it. He was greedy, so he killed all the other workers, and proceeded to...touch...me." Mukuro's hand that's caressing the tree begins to shiver. He had been raped. Hibari would never of imagined that. He doesn't know what to say next, or how to explain it to the Arcobaleno or the other guardians. He just hopes that Mukuro keeps the conversation going by talking himself.

"He dumped me right here and ran off, only to be crushed by a woman's body that fell from high up. I thought _that _was the legendary woman, but when the police found my father, I thought otherwise." Mukuro paused for a moment. He didn't know why he was telling his story to Hibari, a person who couldn't care less about him or anyone else but himself. Still, he continues to talk.

"That's when I learned, that the ring was cursed, and I never went looking for it again." Quietly, Hibari approaches Mukuro, and just as he was only a few inches away from the taller teen, he places his hand on the other's shoulder. Surprised, Mukuro turns round to look into Hibari's eyes. What is Hibari thinking at the moment? Does he feel disgusted about Mukuro's assault? Or does he feel absolutely nothing like a cold-hearted shell every man Mukuro has ever known is.

When Hibari's soft finger rubs a tear from his cheek, Mukuro then realizes that he was crying. He was so scarred by the events that happened almost a century ago that he didn't even notice that tears were escaping from his eyes. "You deserved that." Hibari says coldly, only to earn a sadistic laugh from a clearly-hurt Mukuro.

"I probably did, for having gone looking for something so bewitched." The illusionist begins laughing, as if enjoying the fact that his tragic past was boldly insulted. Not that he ever thought about it until now, since past was past, yet as the laughs continue to fill the air around them, they soon die down, resulting in a sad expression on Mukuro's face. Hibari's hand has yet to move from the side of his face.

Mukuro gazes at the leaves-covered ground, at where his two small feet once stood while being violated like some cheap, filthy hooker, not as the son who worked hard to complete his father's wish while being surrounded by proud, older men. If he had known then that the ring was truly cursed as its legend says, would he have begged his father not to go look, and thus save them both from their ill-fated experiences?

Hibari's thumb strokes his cheek again when another tear rolls down. Looking back up slightly, Mukuro can see the stoic expression of his mighty rival, but deep within those light blue eyes he can also see sympathy, pity even. He doesn't like being looked down on, but with such harsh memories back, after a century of being dormant, he really doesn't know how to react.

"Come on. Let's go back." Hibari soon proposes, but as he turns round, he is surprised to feel his arm being tugged back. Upon turning back to look into those sadness-filled eyes, he begins to see another, deeper emotion.

_Longing._

In the middle of these mysterious woods, under the night sky glittered with stars, Hibari decides to remain there, for as long as it takes to calm his rival, and get him back to his senses. ...Or so he tells himself is the reason, as arms move to embrace him lovingly.

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_Later..._

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The search for a run-away Mukuro ended when Hibari finally returned to the spot they had initially gathered, though he returns with said male handcuffed. The two seem perfectly fine, and the only one looking like he just saw a ghost was Tsuna. Why he looked like that is never answered, and since it is so close to midnight, the storytelling is canceled, allowing everyone to head home safely.

Well, that's what they were hoping.

Looking down at Tsuna from the top of a very tall tree, is a woman wearing a white dress with black hair. In mere seconds will Tsuna walk pass this tree, and then shall come down this artificial body, of a heart-broken woman.

He should never have picked it up.

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**Owari**


End file.
